


Hear Us Roar

by MonstarBubby



Category: HLVRAI - Fandom, Half-Life
Genre: Abuse, Abusive Parent, Black Mesa (Half-Life), Blood and Injury, Exile, Family Issues, Feral Behavior, Fluff, Forests, Getting Framed, Inspired by Music, Married Bubby/Dr. Coomer (Half-Life), Mild Gore, Mild Language, Protective Team, Protectiveness, Song Parody, Sunkist can speak with a translator collar, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:21:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 12,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27782914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MonstarBubby/pseuds/MonstarBubby
Summary: Their leader is gone. Their beloved kingdom is being taken away from them. They all must team up to get all of their precious memories back. Don't Fuck with the Science Team.
Relationships: Benrey/Forzen (Half-Life), Bubby/Dr. Coomer (Half-Life)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 23





	1. The Murder

The night was beautiful. The air was crisp and chilly, but not unbearably cold. The moon was full and came with bright glistening stars. Gordon had been staring at it for the past forty-five minutes, as he couldn't sleep. He looked over his shoulder to see the science team in a small pile in the corner of the lab, sleeping nicely. "Wish that could be me," thought Gordon. However, Gordon wasn't the only one awake at the time. The G-Man was heard wandering around the place, Forzen was probably told to do some electrical work down in the basement, but Darnold's whereabouts were unknown. Gordon did find it strange that the G-Man was awake at this time of night, usually he would have magically disappeared by now. Gordon was just too curious, he slowly got up and walked to the door where he could see a faint shadow of G-man... He tried to be as quiet as possible, but it seemed that G-man's keen hearing got to him first. "Gordon? Is...that you?" He asked. Gordon gulped, then revealed himself. "Why, you're wide awake! Are you having trouble sleeping?" He asked. There were no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Gordon nodded. "Hmm, well, if you follow me, I can give you a task to do alongside your dear friend, Forzen." Aww, Yuck. Well, if it kept him occupied or helped him sleep... he was desperate. Gordon saw G-man pick something up behind himself, but it was in the air whatever he picked up. Whatever it was, it was small.  
  
"You know, Gordon, My son has been acting strange." Hmm, really? He hasn't noticed anything wrong with Tommy... He was being given small make-shift dolls to play with, but he never made his dolls do anything strange, or weird. Tommy also never cared if he was seen playing with them. "Has he around you?" Gordon had to ask.  
"Has he what?"  
"Been acting weird around you?"  
"Why do you ask? I told you so."  
"Well, according to my observations, he's perfectly fine."  
"He's been begging me for something."  
"What is it? Maybe we can get it to him."  
"A guardian angel, Gordon."  
This just got weird. The G-man slowly turned around, this time with something clearly behind his back. Probably the item he picked up before. "He has an invincible dog, G-man... what more could he ask for?" Gordon said, slowly backing away from the slender man. "Hehehe... Gordon... a dog isn't the same as a guardian angel." The tone visibly changing. "Sunkist is simply a pet." Okay, this was getting scary for Gordon. "What do you have behind your back? G-man, I-"  
"Does it matter?"  
"Yes, it does, you're fucking scaring me."  
"It won't after this-"  
  
All of a sudden, there was a thud to the floor of Gordon's jaw, in addition to a piercing pain. Then, that pain made its way down his neck. All Gordon could taste was the metallic taste of blood. He began to get dizzy and fell to his knees. As he looked at the floor, red liquid dripped from his chin and his neck. His vision was beginning to fade away, however, Gordon could visibly see that G-man was going to strike again. He wasted no time trying to get away from him, as he tried getting up. Before he could even attempt to scream, he heard the knife clatter to the ground and felt some cold hands around his face. As blood continued to drip everywhere, the last thing Gordon could hear from G-man was "Protect my son for me, will you, Gordon..." Before a disgusting crack of bones could be heard and Gordon's body went limp. G-man felt accomplished, as he tossed the lifeless Gordon to the side.  
  
Forzen just got done fixing up something in the electrical room and was now looking for his next task. "Yo, Geem? I'm done in the electrical room!" G-man heard the voice. He also knew that everyone wouldn't dare accuse him of killing Gordon... he was so mysterious. "GEEM! Where you at?" The soldier called again. Then he found G-man... with Gordon bleeding out right in front of him. He stood there.... staring at Gordon. Damn, he hated Gordon but.... what the actual fuck. He dropped the toolbox, tools loudly spilling out everywhere. G-man took these few seconds to splash the soldier with Gordon's blood and throw the knife at him. Forzen exclaimed loudly, enough for the science team to hear. "What have you done, Forzen!? What have you done??" G-man shouted. All the soldier could do is stand there with his mouth agape. A single tear fell from Forzen's face. Forzen could hear running from the other end of the hallway as G-man faked sobs. The soldier tried to see who was running towards him but ended up slipping in blood, splashing it all over the side of his face and hands when he pushed himself away from what used to be Gordon. Forzen looked over to see the Science team, except for Benrey, locked in a state of pure shock at the sight.  
  
All Coomer could do was just lean against the doorframe with his hand shakily over his mouth, looking at the sight of Gordon frantically. Bubby came down to Gordon's side, examining him while breathing heavily. Forzen was just looking around until he met eyes with Tommy. Oh, no. There was a look of pure rage and fury, and it was just for him. "Look, Tommy..." Forzen said, raising a hand to him. Bubby and Coomer looked at their younger friend, who was now breathing heavily. "Calm down, buddy. I swear I-" He was interrupted by Tommy's scream of anguish. The man charged at Forzen landing a punch to his face. When the soldier was lying on the ground, Tommy sat on him and forced him to face up, holding his vest in place as he punched again. "YOU KILLED UNCLE FREEMAN!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. He was about to punch again but was stopped by Coomer. Tommy screamed and sobbed as he tried wiggling out of Coomer's grasp. "I WANT YOU DEAD!" Tommy screamed. How could anyone believe G-man? Why is this happening to him? G-man walked over to the soldier and took his chin in his hand. "You hear that? You're not welcome here. You should run before your life is as good as confiscated." With that, Forzen didn't know what else to do other than run. Run as fast as he could away from this place.


	2. The Realization

Forzen spits out a tooth before he ran. G-man watched him run and jump over gates and things with the nastiest grin on his face. "What are you doing, Coomer?" Bubby exclaimed. "I'm trying to close Gordon's eyes." The cyborg replied. "It won't work, you have to let it sit for a few hours."

Benrey snorted himself awake. It took him a moment before he sighed and felt around him for the science team, but didn't feel anyone, sadly. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see something darting from a lit-up area. He crawled up to the window and peeked out. It was a person running away... but who was it? Benrey allowed his sight to adjust again when he realized it was Forzen. "Forzen?" He called out. It definitely got his attention. Poor Forzen breathed heavily as he looked at his poor eldritch boyfriend, their yellow and orange eyes glowing brightly upon him. The soldier sadly shook his head and jumped the fence. Benrey reached an arm out with a saddened look on his face. Where was he going? Why was he leaving? Thank goodness the science team walked in. Tommy was sobbing, it was the saddest thing Benrey heard here on Black Mesa. "Yo, what happened? Where the fuck is Forzen going? What's wrong with Tommy?" He asked, his hands open to his sides. Coomer sighed before sitting on the stolen mattress next to the eldritch creation. "Gordon was killed." Benrey's expression loosened. "And we think Forzen finally got his wish." Now Benrey was back to being angry.

"Forzen wouldn't do that."

"He did say he was here to kill him anyways, Benrey," Bubby said as he was patting poor Tommy on his back.

"Things have changed, Bubby. He wouldn't dare think of doing that! Why do you guys believe this garbage?"

"He had blood all over the side of his face and hands." The eldritch creation loosened his anger again. Tommy shot an angry look at Benrey. Then he left the room. "Tommy," Dr. Coomer called out. No response. "I need to go after Forzen-" Coomer interrupted him by placing a hand on his arm. "You can't, Benrey. He's been exiled." Benrey just could not believe what was happening right now. "Forzen finally killed Gordon... and now he is to pay."  
"This is all wrong!"  
"Why are you on Forzen's side anyway?" Bubby asked.  
"We're friends for god's sake!"  
Bubby growled at him. Benrey revealed his gleaming, sharp teeth to him, snarling loudly. Thankfully Coomer stopped him from charging at Bubby.  
Dr. Coomer cleared his throat. "Hey! Everyone this is NOT a time to be hostile. We'll get up in the morning and figure all of this out."

~~~~~~~~  
  
Tommy was outside now. He got help from Gordon and Benrey to build a treehouse along the side of the building since there were no properly growing trees here in Black Mesa. He climbed on up and heaved himself inside. Inside, there were boxes of art utensils, little stick figures he tied together with sticks and twine, and even small wreaths Gordon made him. He scooted to those wreaths, which were spread across a table he made himself. He picked up the biggest one and hugged it. This is what he would remember him by. These sturdy, wooden wreaths. "Hello, Tommy." A young voice said to him from the corner of the room. It came from a blue light around the neck of Sunkist. Tommy didn't respond, and he always talks to him. "Something is wrong, I can tell," Sunkist said. Still no answer. Just a sob. The dog walked over to his master.

"You can always tell me what's wrong." Sunkist had never seen him this upset.  
"Uncle Freeman's gone, Sunkist... gone forever..."  
"...I am very, very sorry for your loss."  
Tommy hugged his dog and sobbed into his fur. Sunkist snuggled into his shoulder. "I will always be here to protect you."  
"I know you will. You're the perfect dog."  
This made Sunkist happy. His tail wagged gently.  
"Can you tell me about the stars, Sunkist?"  
"Ah, the stars... Well, there are many patterns you can find in the stars. There's the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor..."


	3. The Feralism

Benrey's arms hung out of the window. He had been sitting at that window since last night, waiting for Forzen to come back and just for someone to say it was all a prank. Before the science team went to sleep, they all got to see Gordon one last time. Godspeed to him... He blinked himself awake to the smell of lunch meat. Benrey was always the one to sleep in the latest, so he could deduce that it was just about lunchtime.

Sure enough, when Benrey came into the room, the team was eating small sandwiches. Except for Tommy. He was eating a bowl of dry Froot Loops. "Good Afternoon, Benrey! Bubby made sandwiches." Coomer said with joy. Benrey just looked down at his bare feet. How is Coomer so happy after last night? Maybe he's trying not to think about it? It's still an elephant in the room to Benrey. The eldritch creation ended up sitting at a table with the others. Coomer turned on the radio to some old 80s classics. Clearly, he was happy, but Bubby could tell he was still very upset about the death of Gordon. Gordon was the problem solver of the group. He knew his way around Black Mesa, he knew how to fix bridges, and even saved Coomer from barnacles. Now anytime the team would see some of the most iconic things from the adventure they had with Gordon, they would feel bad. Even the soda that Tommy was holding. How would the team get around if something happened? They depended on Gordon to know where to go and how to get there. Admittedly, Benrey thought Gordon was an awesome guy. But who killed him remained but a sketch in his mind. He absolutely knew that Forzen didn't kill him. That changed much time ago when the soldier was but a side character. 

Bubby noticed that Benrey hadn't touched anything on his plate. He had mostly poked his sandwich and maybe ate a crumb. The experiment's eyebrows furrowed at the sight of the still-full plate. "Aren't you gonna eat? C'mon, you can't do anything if you don't have anything on your stomach!" Benrey just frowned. Forzen used to make him better meals than this. "I'm not hungry. I'll just eat a bar of chocolate or something." He pushed away his plate and left. Bubby sighed. "Remember Bubby, last night was a rough night. Let's try to keep our spirits up for the day, shall we?"  
"It was a rough night for all of us."  
"Can we just talk about the elephant in the room?" Tommy asked.  
Coomer sighed and put a hand upon his face. He knew exactly what was gonna happen. Benrey came in as soon as Tommy said that as well, as it seemed like he wanted to talk about it as well. "I suppose we have to... now that we're all back in the room."  
"So how do you feel about the situation?" Bubby asked everyone.  
No one spoke for a minute until Coomer cleared his throat.  
"I feel like we're at a loss. Like, we've basically lost the head of our team."  
The rest of the table agreed. Benrey laid a hand out on the table."And I uh... basically, lost my boyfriend."  
Bubby and Tommy scowled him. How could this alien still be in love with the murderer? It was Bubby who had the bigger grudge on him, as Tommy just went back to eating his cereal. "We're very sorry about that, Benrey," Coomer said.

"Just forget about Forzen already, he's just a murderer."  
"No, he's not Bubby. There has to be some explanation, and I never got it. Neither did you all."  
"You didn't see all the blood on him? Are you THAT blind?"  
"I did see all the blood on him. I'm not blind, test-tube baby."  
Bubby barked in anger at that retort. "At least I'm not in love with a murderer."  
"He's... not... a MURDERER." Benrey had a growl in his voice with that one. Both of them had their teeth bared. "You two have to cool it!" Interjected Coomer. This was about to get bad... Benrey snorted and waved it off. 

The experiment still had a loud scowl on his face. All of a sudden, a loud bark came from his throat and Benrey was on the ground fighting to get the experiment off of his chest, glass shattering on the ground as Coomer and Tommy exclaimed in shock. "Tommy, go! Bubby, Benrey, Stop fighting right now!" They wouldn't listen. Once Benrey got out from under Bubby, he ran and nearly trampled Coomer. Bubby was slobbering and snarling like a feral animal. Benrey was so focused on getting away from Bubby, he kept bumping into things and making stuff fall over. The eldritch creature ran into a locker room and shut himself in one of the lockers. "You are one stupid son of a bitch." He heard from outside. There was the sound of not two, but four feet in the same room with Ben. This meant that Bubby went entirely feral. Ben could hear Coomer calling for his experiment, but ghostly enough, there was no response. Just the slapping of bare hands and feet across the tile of the locker room. He covered his mouth in the locker, trying not to give away his spot the best he could. It went completely silent for a second... then it seemed the experiment left. The alien couldn't see anything by pressing his face against the slots... so he opened the locker door and looked down. He realized that was his worst mistake when he pounced on by the experiment. Coomer finally found them both, but they were now making horrifying sounds at each other and scuffling for their lives. Coomer could compare their sounds to two rabid wolves fighting. Foam laced Bubby's mouth as Benrey's yellowed teeth could be heard snapping at him. Then finally, Bubby got ahold of Ben's wrist with his fangs and an audible crunch, causing a whimpery screech to come from the eldritch creature. Coomer snatched his Bub's labcoat collar and dragged him away from Ben.

"Oh my god, Are you alright, Benrey?"  
"Leave me alone!" Benrey screamed, running on all fours from the room and trailing his blood behind him.

"Bubby, YOU have some serious apologizing to do."


	4. The Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Forzen is lost and is thinking of a special someone.

With the booted foot, this was the journey no soldier would ever take alone. Hours and hours were spent, dragging these feet along the crisp sandy soil, just begging for a place to lie down already. The sun was on the set and it had been just as beautiful as the day he met his love. Benrey was his love-life, one throughout the years that he thought had ended a long time ago when he confronted Gordon. It was embarrassing to tell anyone that they used to have someone as a friend. Now, look where he was. Wrongly exiled, wrongly everything. This was all wrong. Forzen shouldn't be here, approaching what looked like a forest. He was tired, hungry, and still dirty. He blinked softly at the sight of trees. Coomer had said once that there was nothing here, maybe this forest was something he never saw.  
  
Forzen could calculate the time there would be a sunset. Sunsets meant a lot to the soldier. To him, sunsets were Benrey. Because on February 14th, the two would always find a place to sit outside, from the best angle, to see a beautiful sunset. No matter the cost, even if it meant driving a few miles away from Black Mesa. Forzen and Benrey would always get to see their sunset. Forzen wanted Ben to have the best time of his life because growing up, he had social anxiety. With this in mind, Forzen tried his best to curb Benrey's social anxiety. The soldier pushed giant leaves and ferns away from his face. Why didn't he retaliate? Why didn't he just go ahead and admit that it was G-man who killed Gordon? Eh... G-man was a very cunning man. A common trickster. There was some smart way that he could always get away from murder. And this time, it was using Forzen's past against him. Now, the soldier really wished he didn't even confront Gordon in the first place. Or at least gave a sincere apology.  
  
Forzen yawned. He came across a small creek that most likely ran through the forest, or led to a smaller lake. He kneeled down and took a look at himself. There was still blood all along his face and hands. He chose to take an opportunity to wash up. The soldier looked like a mess in his reflection. Or at least, what he could see of it. His eyes bagged and had purple rings under them. Probably from crying too much. He looked like he had just got out of a fight. He sat down, removing his beret and resting his head in his other hand. "How could I let this happen..."  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
Benrey was back at his window again. He tried resting both of his arms on the sill but ended up wincing in pain. He hadn't bandaged the bite Bubby gave him. Forzen would not have let this happen. With a bark of his strong, military-stressed voice, everything would be alright. Everything would be alright if he came back home. If he came back home...  
  
_Benrey: All I've got is a picture in my mind  
How it would be... If you were here by my side...  
Let's pretend I'm in your arms,  
And say you speak to me  
And promise in your whispers... That you'll be here...  
  
  
Forzen: Come home to your heart...  
When I come home...  
We'll never be apart... If I keep thinking of you  
Start believing " 's not true.."  
Soon I'll come home...  
Soon I'll be home...  
Soon I'll be home to your heart...  
  
  
Both: Soon we'll be home...  
Home to our hearts...  
Soon we'll be home...  
Home to our hearts...  
If we... believe.....  
  
  
_A tear fell from Benrey's eyes as he continued to watch the sunset. Dr. Coomer had seen poor Benrey. He looked back at Bubby. "Let's just leave him alone for now," Coomer whispered to his Bubby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song used here is a parody of "Soon You'll Come Home"  
> https://genius.com/Lana-beeson-soon-youll-come-home-lyrics


	5. The Temper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coomer gives Bubby a talking to.

Coomer and Bubby were making their way to their own room, where they could talk in peace. They would need it for this talk in particular. When they got done, they were in a room, where nothing but the droning of a machine and a window looking out into a clearing with water. After a few seconds of looking out into that clearing, Coomer looked at his best experiment husband.

"I'm scared, Bubby."  
"What are you afraid of? Me?"  
Coomer gave a soft nod.  
Bubby could only look down upon his now ruined boots.  
"I'm sorry about that outburst, Dr.Coomer."  
"If you go feral like that, you start losing control of your brain. When you lose control of your brain, you won't care who or what gets in your way, and you'll end up slashing some chords... and not just any chords."  
"So.. you're scared I'll end up killing someone?"  
"...yes."

Coomer placed a warm palm gently against Bubby's cheek.

"I don't know you for being a killer, Bubby... I don't know any killer as my husband."

That stopped Bubby. He looked at his hand with the small diamond ring on it. Coomer then brought his hand onto his. Then, the experiment brought both of their hands to his forehead. Coomer could hear what sounded like a purring from Bubby. He brought him in for a hug. "If you want my honesty, Bubby... I feel lost. I don't feel like I can lead the science team. I don't think I deserve it as much as Gordon did." Coomer sniffled.  
"But I can help you, Coomer."  
"Are you sure?"  
"I'm more than willing to help my love."

He sighed and hugged him.  
"Gordon may be gone, but that doesn't mean the science team has to end. We'll carry his legacy on, remember all the good things he's done for us."  
"That's right, Bubby."

The two held their ringed hands together and began to walk back to what they called headquarters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song for this chapter is Blank Banshee - Primordial  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPWk8l0cb64


	6. The Time

Three months pass.

Black Mesa's loneliness and quiet have slowly been dying out because of G-Man taking over. There were now more people here, there was more machinery, and more construction being made. Which meant that, wherever G-man saw the science team, the slender man would usher them out. Some nights, the science team went without sleep because of all the racket from outside. All the vehicles, tools, jackhammers, all of the noise. Gordon would never let this happen... There were times when the science team had no other choice but to sleep out in the cold in an old, broken-down car they found. Some days, they would get really lucky and find some food to eat, and if they were really lucky, they would be able to quickly heat it up without any workers noticing they were in there. However, if they were met with limited time, they had to leave their food behind and watch their finds get eaten by G-man's workers. The saddest thing about this all was that G-man didn't even respect his son. Tommy was forced to travel with the science team. All he wanted was a brand-new Black Mesa rather than a sturdy relationship with his son it seemed.

Then Tommy fell ill. The poor child of a man needed help being carried around Black Mesa. Sometimes he couldn't eat. Sometimes he'd be in so much pain, he couldn't sleep. Stress added to his pain, making him incredibly ill for almost two weeks now. Thank god Bubby and Benrey were able to help him without getting ill as well. With the way things were turning around this place, Ben and Bub had gotten along well. They had no choice but to use teamwork to be able to survive G-man's curse. However, Benrey's hope for Forzen being alive was fading. There was no way Forzen could have survived this long outside of Black Mesa. Speaking about Forzen would turn everything around on him, causing the team to get mad at the alien, so he had no choice but to dream about holding hands with his soldier, just one, last, time. Every night, he would pray that he was still alive. Coomer was the only one who supported him, as he could only imagine what life without Bubby would be like.

Now, the team found a fairly nice place to reside for the night. There was the heat, food, and some light. Bubby was the first one to wake up this morning. He needed something to drink, so searched this kitchen for some coffee. He heard the beeping of a construction vehicle but didn't think anything of it until it came closer and closer. Then he looked out the window. There was a giant wrecking ball being prepared the wrack the building. He dropped his cup of coffee and ran to his teammates. "Wake up, wakeup wakeup wakeup!" Bubby said, shaking everyone awake. They were slow to respond, but the time was ticking fast. "What's going on, Bubby? " Coomer asked. Bubby just pointed out the window. The wrecking ball was still making its way back... this is gonna be one hell of a whack. Coomer gulped. "We need to get going. NOW!" 

Benrey looked around frantically, panicking. He bit his nails, then he saw Tommy crawling to the fridge. "Tommy! What are you doing?!" He was trying to check for food in the fridge, but it seemed workers came in and took everything out. Tommy didn't have time to think, because once he coughed violently, Benrey pounced onto him, causing him to fall flat forwards. There was a very loud crash in addition to dust filling the room. Bricks clattered into the room, glistening sunlight raying in. Underneath Benrey, Tommy could see the ceiling cracking in half. "Get up! The sky is falling!" He screamed. Before the ceiling could meet the two, Coomer helped them up, and they scurried out of the room as fast as they could over the rubble and into a hallway. The worker in the crane lifted his hardhat up. It was clear that the worker was G-man, with the big, cyan eyes, watching the science team's every move. 

After running, they filed into an empty storage room, where they panted. They weren't sure why this was happening to them, had G-man tried to kill them just now? "Is anyone hurt?" Coomer asked. Everyone shook their head but Tommy. Who looked just about dead. "Tommy? Er... Tommy? You okay?" Benrey asked. He laid a hand on his shoulders to be met with him falling over and vomiting. 

"We've seriously got to get Tommy some help," Bubby said, holding poor Tommy's hand for comfort. "Look around for some medical equipment."

"When will all of this be over??" Benrey thought as he flicked on an old lantern he found and went off with Coomer in this large storage room to find painkillers.

This place was sure turning into the fiery pits of hell fast.


	7. The Talk

That same night, Benrey had some time to himself.

All he wanted was to go outside, by himself no one else to bother him. His hands in his hoodie, the chilly breeze along his face, and the coziness of his boots. He looked out to the area beside him. There was nothing but cranes and rubble. Where the science team used to be. Then he saw what might've been one of the last working road lamps. He sat under the lamp, his helmet still shading his face. He looked up into the light, watching the little bugs and moths bump into it. Moths. Hmm. There was the sound of grass being rustled in the distance. He heard that. His glowing eyes darted everywhere, looking for the source until finally, a boot stepped into the circle of light he sat under. There was a faint scent of cigarette smoke. Who smoked in Black Mesa...?

Then, a familiar face revealed itself, cigarette in the bottom lip. They both cocked their heads slightly. It can't be... "Darnold??" He nodded, with a slight smile. "Dude, where have you been?"  
Darnold shrugged. "I guess I was hiding."  
"I'm glad to see you back, dude. Nice to see another face other than G-man's ugly mug."  
"Haha! This place is doing downhill, and it's goin' fast, man."  
"I can agree with you on that."  
"Wanna smoke?"  
"No thank you. When did you start smoking, dude?"  
"Mmm. Stressed out Black Mesa's charm's bein' killed by G-man."  
"Yeah..."  
"How has the science team been treating you?"  
...that Benrey didn't wanna answer. Tommy is still sick and mewling, Bubby's been zoning out more often and Coomer's been losing it slowly.  
"Not that well I suppose?"  
Benrey could only nod.  
"Hmm. Sorry about that..."  
"I just wish I knew how to make it all better. I feel useless."  
"Well, I do know something."  
"What is that?"  
"Come with me."

The two stood up and began to walk. Benrey used his glowing eyes to see Darnold walking ahead of him in the dark, being hit with a stream of smoke every once in a while. then, Darnold brought Benrey to where Gordon died...

"Yo... this was where Gordon was killed... why are we here?"  
"Because you're right. Forzen is innocent."  
Benrey took a moment to think... Then he finally remembered. Forzen. His boyfriend. Bubby fought about it. No one liked him because he liked him. But if it wasn't Forzen... Darnold shot a smoke-bullet through a smoke-ring.  
"...Do you know who... killed... Gordon?"  
"You don't know? Have you seen how G-man has been acting?"  
...Now Benrey knew. G-man didn't start re-appearing more than after Gordon died. And he wasn't as eager to start tearing this place apart until after he died. He was there too. He was with Forzen. A tear started to form in Ben's eye.   
"I know how you feel, Benrey. You had feelings for Forzen, didn't you?"  
"Yeah... He was my boyfriend... I loved him so much..."  
"Loved? Don't you still love him?"  
"He's.."  
"He's still alive, Benrey. He's still out there."  
"He can't be..."  
"Oh, but he is. I have a quest for you."  
Tears welled up in Benrey's eyes. "How could you know this?"  
"Go and find your boyfriend, Benrey. It's the only way to find out."  
"I need to tell the others-"   
"NO. Do NOT tell others. Go now!"  
"Now?"  
Benrey breathed heavily. The tears were heavy now. His hopes were at their highest.  
"Yes, Benrey. Go find Forzen, and Fix. Black. Mesa. You can do this. It'll be the only way to stop hiding and return everything back to normal. Go NOW!"

With that very, final note, Benrey sped off into the night, tracing his soldier boyfriend's footsteps and jumps.

  
_"I'm Coming, Forzen..."_

**_"We'll be home soon..."_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song for this chapter is Blank Banshee - Marble Bust  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45r-87cK5i8


	8. The Forest

Benrey's feet were getting tired. 

One night and half a day. Then finally, he saw it. The exact forest. The same exact forest Forzen might be in. Benrey's slowed pace became a light jog to the trees. The eldritch god's breath came out in clouds in front of him. He looked up into the sky, or at least what he could see of it. It seemed like the trees went miles high, swaying ever so softly. Leaves crunch softly under the guard's boots. As he walked, he leaned against trees and continued to watch the sky, watching how the clouds were moving. There were all kinds of birds singing, bugs chirping, and cicadas... cicadas. Those were what made him think of Forzen. Benrey would always hear cicadas when they were together. Especially on Valentine's Day.

The eldritch god continued to venture further and further into the open forest, looking up down, left, right. Then, he saw something on a tree. Looking at it closer revealed that there were inscriptions inside the bark of two trees. "Gotta Find Him HIM HIM", "Sounds like him", "Find ME", "Stop looking like him", "WANT LOVE WANT HIM NEED HIM." This worried Ben. He looked around for more but had no luck. There were either marks from animals or nothing at all. then he stepped on something that crunched louder than the rest of the leaves. It was a stick. A stick that was tied to other sticks. Spelling out "Hell." Benrey began to jog lightly. He ran into the shallow creek, the water splashing against his boots. He continued running faster and faster until something tossed him up into the air. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!" His helmet flew off his head and rolled away. Benrey hit a trap. He could hear his scream echo through these woods. When he finally quit bouncing, he sighed loudly. "Ah, shit."

He hung there, struggling to touch the ground and find a stick for about a few minutes until he heard something coming his way. It sounded like fast-paced walking... until it started running to him. Benrey wailed when he felt something grab his vest until a serene calm washed over him... Forzen.

"Forzen?!" The god asked.  
"Who are you?" What used to be Benrey's handsome boy took his head in his hands. He pressed a sharp stick against his side.  
"Dude, it's me Benrey? Stop being a freak!"  
"No, you're not."  
"Yes I am, ya fuckin'..."  
"If you really ARE Benrey, what's our favorite show?"  
"Dukes of Hazzard??"  
It was clear he wasn't supposed to get that correct.  
"...What do... we do on Valentine's Day every year?.."  
"You take me out to a sunset..."  
"Sweetie?"  
"Babe..."  
The branch Benrey hung off of gave, making him fall to the ground. The branch dug into the ground right next to him. Then he noticed what kind of twine he used. "Oh, dude... you unraveled the bracelet I gave you in school?? That's so not co-" He stopped bickering when Forzen kneeled down. Benrey studied his Forzen. God-damn.

What used to be a clean face was now a chin of brown, wiry beard hair. His military outfit was all torn up. His boots and beret scuffed all to hell. It looked like he got hit by an animal at some point. There was a healing scar across his right cheek. However, he still had that cute little tuft of brown hair peeking out from under the beret. "My god, Forzen..." The god was at a loss for words. He got up slowly, putting his arms atop his shoulders. The soldier breathed heavily. Upon closer inspection, his pupils were dilated as well. The forest had put a good length of stress on him, but he looked so damn good in the soft rays of sunlight. "Here, lemme get you out of this," Forzen said, reaching over to Benrey's leg. All it took was two tugs to get it untied. He collected the paracord and tucked it away in his pocket. Then he sat down and pulled Benrey into a hug, resting his head against his chest. He could hear his heartbeat, which soothed him greatly. "There were so many people who looked like you... dressed like you... They walked a path...just over there." He pointed to where a big machine was. Benrey jumped as he saw the crane. G-man's workers must've run through this forest with all of those machines... "G-man's workers..."

"Wait what?"  
"G-man has workers tearing apart Black Mesa now."  
"Why?"  
"He thinks he's the fuckin'.. king of the world I guess..."  
"Damn..." Forzen couldn't really think of anything else to say, so He had to ask an important question. "Why are you out here? Shouldn't you be with the science team?"  
"We're on our last legs, man. Bubby's slowly going feral, Tommy's so sick he can't move, and Coomer well... he's losing his marbles."  
"Damnit, Ben... I'm sorry..."  
"Which is why I need you to come back to Black Mesa."  
"What? No. I'm not going back there."  
"Why not?? We need your help, you're the-"  
"Because I'm not welcome there. Everyone would want me dead."  
"I don't want you dead! I've missed you for so long and you're what can fix Black Mesa."  
"Well, I can't help you. How did you even know I didn't kill Gordon?"  
"Darnold told me. He must've been a bystander."  
"..."  
"He also told me that you were the answer to everything."

...Forzen still didn't answer. He told him that he'd need to think this through, as he took his hand and walked into this big forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song for this chapter is a slowed version of Blank Banshee's Frozen Flame.  
> https://youtu.be/pliDqWHGDNE?t=257
> 
> This is also the song for the next chapter.


	9. The Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Forzen remembers how much he loves Benrey.

They whispered sweet nothings into each other's ears until the two came to a curtain of vines. The vines revealed a beautiful clearing, where the creek ran through and made a small waterfall. "Man... If I didn't live at Black Mesa I'd be living here..." Benrey said as he looked at this beautiful scene. Who knew something like this existed outside of Black Mesa? "This is where I live. See all those leaves up there?" His attention was directed to the top of the small waterfall to what looked like a small hammock. "That's where I sleep. Here, I'll bring you up there," Forzen said, picking up Benrey bride-style. The god was blushing madly and hidden under his helmet.

Eventually, they made it up, and Benrey was more confused than anything. Sure this place was so cool and pretty, but... it seemed too much like Forzen liked living here rather than at Black Mesa. "C'mere, sweetie." He said, letting go of Benrey's hand and laying upon the bed of leaves and mangroves. "You made all this?" he asked. Forzen gave a quick nod with that big goofy smile of his. The hammock he made was made between two branches rather than two separate trees. Ben didn't wanna destroy his bedding, so he was as careful as possible. "Here, you rest, I wanna show you something else." The military boy said. Ben was going to come with him to see this, but Forzen halted him into staying in the hammock. Benrey snuggled into this bunch of leaves. How could he make something so comfy... yet so simple? The next thing he knew, he saw Forzen swinging right in front of him from a thick vine and into the creek, his beret flying off right into his lap. Benrey placed the beret down and ran to go see if he was okay.

When he arrived, the water was crystal clear, and he could see but a distortion in the water where Forzen was. Benrey ducked as close as he could to the water until Forzen's arms swung around his shoulders, yanking him into the clear, icy water. Ben surfaced, gasping for air. Forzen laughed as he tried swimming away. "What's wrong Benny? The water a little-" Benrey shouted before he completed the sentence. "COLD!" he replied. The military boy snickered and he backstroked next to his boyfriend. "You're having fun though... right?" Forzen asked, brows raised. Ben just stared, eventually splashing him. They laughed and continued to splash each other.

Soon, they shook each other's hair out and left the creek behind. They played and chased each other through the forest. Benrey found a "safe place" with a small hill. Forzen found him perched ever-so-lovingly there. He hunkered and crept behind him, hiding whenever Benrey looked over his shoulders. He was wondering where ever could his Forzen be? When the time was right, Forzen leaped onto his love, sending them both tumbling all the way down into a pile of leaves and flowers. Forzen found Benrey's tickle spots and made the eldritch god laugh like a little child. The god eventually got his favorite soldier to settle down and lay beside him and snuggle to watch the sun die out behind the trees.

When the stars finally arrived, Forzen thought about bringing himself to go back to Black Mesa.  
"So... Is Black Mesa really getting that bad right now?"  
Benrey nodded.  
"Well... We'll see when we get there."  
"Y-You're coming back?" Benrey was genuinely excited to hear that.  
"I might as well. I missed this."  
"Miss what?"  
"You. I missed it when we chased each other around the labs. I missed it when we were us."  
This made Benrey's heart flutter.

"Which is also why I want to marry you."

  
There was a strict moment of silence.  
Benrey slowly turned to look at what's now going to be the forever love of his life. His hands cupped around his mouth, in addition to that tear about the crawl down his cheek. "What!?"

_**"Why would I lie?"  
** _

__**  
  
**Benrey yanked him into a hug he'd never forget.


	10. The Kidnapping

Tommy and Coomer sat in this all-too-quiet lab all by themselves.

Coomer was tenser than Tommy was. The cyborg acted more like a guard dog than anything. Anything that moved, his attention would be brought to it. He would stop his steady rocking just to look around for anything, a sign of Bubby, Benrey, or even a Guard so he could grab Tommy and run either which way. For now, it was just absolute quiet. Tommy would fidget every now and then to get comfortable against this cold, concrete wall. Both of them could see their own breath in this room. The cyborg noticed the poor man-child shivering wildly. He decided to be nice and give him his lab coat, as his limbs were made of metal anyway. "Thank you, Uncle Coomer..." He said, snuggling into the fabric. He smiled at him. Coomer didn't quite understand why Tommy referred to everyone in the science team as their Uncle. He found it cute anyhow, he felt accepted for who he was. He felt loved. Don't get him wrong, he was indeed married to Bubby, but sometimes things would get rocky between the two. Coomer would sometimes have to control Bubby into not turning into his feral form, and hope to god he wouldn't kill anyone when he gets mad if he lost him. 

The lab door swooshed open, and Bubby's thin and gristly figure sluggishly walked back into the lab. His face was more down than the ground itself. "Any food? At all?" Coomer asked. Bubby simply shook his head. No food. None in this hall. The new information shook poor Tommy. "What are we gonna do now, Uncle Coomer?" he asked. The cyborg simply hugged the child. "It'll be alright Tommy. We'll find food soon."

"I can't see as fast as I use to anymore..."  
"We'll get you soda as soon as possible. That'll be the first thing we do, alright?"  
"Thank you, Uncle Coomer."

Bubby laid on the floor. He was the hungriest. Hungry, hungry, hungry. He faced away from the two, scared of what he might do if he snapped. "Bubby?" Coomer noticed his odd behavior. The experiment shuffled into himself further, whimpering like a puppy. "Aww..." Coomer crawled over to his hubby. "We can go look for food together! There's no need to cry about it."  
"Remember how we talked with each other about you being scared of me?"  
"Yes..."  
"This situation has taken us to a point where I'm getting scared of myself."  
Coomer knew this was getting serious. "Alright... There's no need to be afraid. you can control yourself. All you need to do is think before you-"

There was a loud metallic sound outside the lab. The trio froze. There wasn't supposed to be anyone else here. The last time Bubby saw the workers, they were all the way on the other side of this place. The three all looked at each other in dead silence, Tommy getting on his hands and knees to scoot his frightened self over to the otherworldly grandpas. SSSSSsst. That was a laboratory door. It sounded like it was all the way at the end of the hall. "We gotta go, now." Coomer mouthed. SSSSSsssst. This sound was closer. Tommy made a small sound. As Bubby sat up, Coomer lightly shushed Tommy. They listened again... SSSSSSSsst. This one was definitely closer, Coomer could hear footsteps after that lab door opened. "Get in that hallway. It's an old kitchen. Go now!" Coomer whispered. The other two crawled away. They had to find hiding places now before the terror could reign. God knows what that was, or who it could be. None of it mattered to Bubby. As animalistic as he was, it's kill or be killed. He had tucked himself away in a cabinet, while Tommy snuck into a broken fridge. Coomer eventually followed behind, watching the lab door from the hall wall. 

It opened.

A guy that looked exactly like Forzen walked in, a pistol in hand. Coomer gasped silently when he saw this. G-man was "clearing out the buildings." Seeing that the place was clear, the marine moved forth, into the hall. Coomer could see him, but that marine couldn't see him. The cyborg got to take a good, long look at that gleaming pistol in his hand. The marine moved onto the kitchen. These cabinets used to hold all the poisons, cleaning products, and little rat traps the facility had. It smelled horrid in these old wood cabinets. The marine used his walkie-talkie to give a code-green. Good thing Coomer didn't come out of that cabinet just now, as the marine walked back from the kitchen back out the door in the old room. Coomer watched as he left. He decided on a plan and went to go get the other two. "Science Team?" He said silently. Tommy peered out of the fridge, as Bubby crawled out of the cabinet. Coomer hugged Bubby tight. "What's the plan now?" The experiment asked. "We have to make a run for it. It's a silly idea, but what that marine said was basically a green-code to destroy this place. This way." Coomer made them follow him to the door from where they once were. "As soon as this lab door opens, you both follow me. Be very, very quiet."

There was a gulp from Tommy.

Like adrenaline, the lab door swooshed open, and the Science Team was off. They took their back to the walls, scooting against them, and watching the cyborg's every move like their lives depended on it. "It's a door that leads outside! Quickly, now!" Coomer and the other two darted for the door with the red exit sign right above it. Bubby got a few feet ahead, but all of a sudden he was met with a sharp pain in his neck, forcing him to collapse to the ground and feel what was hurting him. It was a tranquilizer dart. Tommy exclaimed as his test-tube buddy fell to the ground. "Bubbyyyy, Nooooo!" the poor boy hollered. "TOMMY, RUN!" Coomer screamed. There was a security guard that hopped in from of the cyborg. The guard was immediately pushed to the ground. Coomer took it to himself to watch Tommy run. Run for his life. Tommy had to MAKE IT. MAKE IT OUT ALIVE. Coomer was then met with a pair of arms that wrapped around his neck, restricting his breathing. The cyborg gagged and choked. Tommy was left now. Until his own father walked in front of him. He tried to stop before he could hit his own father at the speed he was going but ended up falling onto the icy cold tile floor bottom first. 

"DAD! Thank god you're here, Stop those mean people from hurting my friends! PLEASE!"  
"Oh, Tommy... Friends are friends, isn't that correct? I can't hurt my friends, now can I?"  
"But they're hurting MY friends, Dad! STOP THEM!" Tommy whined as he pointed backward.  
"Oh... oh THOSE are your friends, Tommy?"  
"Yes, they are! STOP being mean!"  
"...You go with them then."

G-man rammed a needle full of sedative into his own son's arm. His son screamed as the needle was so crudely jammed into his right arm, ripping through the lab coats he was given and racking pain all through his arm, as the needle may or may not have hit his bone. Screams echoed through the halls, eventually fading out into sobs, then dying out altogether. 

G-man picked up his own ill and now heavily asleep son by the armpits, and dragged him through the hall along with the other workers that dragged his other two friends with him.

Feeling accomplished once again.


	11. The Truth

It was calm. Nothing was wrong... for now. The child's eyes were lidded. He was beginning to regain consciousness. Tommy mumbled. The new giant stadium lights G-man installed burned his sight. He looked at the sky, seeing that it was just about nighttime. Once Tommy would wake up, he would be met with his father's cyan eyes. "D-dad?" He asked as he pushed himself from the dirt. Tommy suddenly remembered that he has friends. His sight was darting everywhere, looking for the last of the Science Team. "Where's Coomer and Bubby?"

"Don't worry about them, son. I have two surprises for you."  
"...Dad, I'm scared..."  
"Why.. what are you afraid of?"  
"I wanna get out of here."  
"Oh... but don't you want to see what I have for you?"  
Tommy stopped. He heard a new din from behind him. "What was that?"  
"My first surprise for you.. is some fireworks." G-man scooted a box with a handle sticking out of the top of it towards Tommy. "Since you're my son, I'll let you do the honors."

Tommy really did need something to relax to right now. Tommy took both sides of the handles, then looked at his father, who was gracefully smiling at him. Then, with some force, he pushed the handles down. The ground shook violently, then he was tossed away by an unknown force and was met with a ringing in his ears.

Tommy was tricked again. He was just conned into demolishing the last known structure in Black Mesa. 

Bits of rubble rained to the ground, and Tommy was in his safety curl, hands over the back of his head, facing the ground. small rocks, wood, and ash beat down upon the poor child's back, forcing him to whimper in pain. Then he looked at what he had done. There were so much fire and smoke. Massive chunks of cement nearly crushed poor Tommy as he scooted away. The child could only describe the setting as hell. Pure and absolute hell. He had never seen Hell before, but this is what he'd imagine it'd look like. Sparks flew from what was left of the electrical doors, catching the dry grass on fire. From all the smoke and fire, the G-man once again shot a look at his son. "You didn't like that, my dear Tommy?," He asked, the gruffness in his voice stabbing Tommy in the heart.

Benrey and Forzen saw the explosion. The engaged couple had now begun to race as fast as they could to the border of what basically used to be their home. Smoke billowed into the air, vanishing the stars and full moon away from everyone. they made it to the fence, looking at all the damage. Fire, sparks, and the shadow of G-man against one of his newer buildings. "God-damn, you weren't kidding, Ben!" Forzen wheezed. The smoke was horrible. This whole thing was horrible. "Where's Coomer? " Benrey asked. "Look there." Forzen pointed out a white lump moving ever so slightly by a pile of crushed cement. "Split up." Forzen kissed Benrey's hand before they darted the other way. Benrey bounded the fence, running on all fours to get to this projection.

Coomer and Bubby coughed violently. "Benrey! Thank god you're here!" The cyborg rejoiced.

Benrey could tell that Coomer was in a downward spiral of panic. The cyborg could not envision this anarchy and suffering that the G-man brought upon them. And it was about to get so, much, worse.

"Your next gift is someone you've missed for a long time." The father said to his son. "Here, Sunkist!" Tommy was ecstatic, he was going to be getting his dog back, the dog he hadn't seen for months. A dog's shadow came bounding towards them. Then Tommy noticed something. Something terribly wrong. "That's not Sunkist..." The dog's collar was red. And this was an entirely different dog. A pit-bull. And he had sharp teeth displaying, with a horrible growl emanating from him. Then the collar began to glow a threatening red. "Or should I say... Here, Rex." 

Then a familiar voice boomed out to the environment. "HEY!" Forzen stood upon some broken concrete. Both the dog and his master's attention were directed to Forzen. The fire gave him a glow around his face, making his appearance more intimidating than ever. In the pit of his heart, Forzen could feel all sorts of rage and fury bubbling like boiling lava. "F-forzen? This can't be.. you're supposed to be dead!" The G-man said as he watched Forzen's muscular figure march towards him. "F-forzen, you've changed so-" The marine didn't have time for this scrawny man's interjections. He used a single hand to force him upon a wall by the neck, squeezing lightly. G-man's legs squirmed slightly, afraid of what might happen if he made a wrong move. He found it hard to breathe, as small noises came from his inhales and exhales. Forzen wasn't planning on choking him, as long as he did what he was supposed to. Forzen moved ever-so-slightly toward the G-man's ear.

"Tell them the truth."

The rest of the science team raised their heads. "What truth?" Bubby barked in the background. Tommy and Coomer just stared.

"You better tell them. They're all waiting on ya."  
"Never. You killed him"  
"I ain't afraid to slice your neck open right here, you bastard."  
"I didn't kill hHHGLk-"  
Forzen's hand continuously squeezed the smaller man's neck, his fingernails digging into the back.

G-man's eyes were stuck in contact with Forzen's rage-filled eyes. "Tell them."  
The science team was getting impatient. Forzen loosened his grip. The G-man recovered his breath.

"Fine...  
I killed Gordon."


	12. The War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: There are HARDCORE gore and blood scenes in this chapter. Tread with caution.

Forzen didn't think G-man deserved to be placed down. The thin man was dropped to the ground with an unforgiving thud against the concrete. The thought alone held the rest of the science team in a state of outrage. Tommy was sent to tears, as this new knowledge hit him harder. This was one fucked-up dad. The poor boy trembled, his voice cracking. "Dad... tell me it's not true..."  
"Well, I did. And I show no goddamn shame."  
"Repulsive!" Coomer shouted.

"How am I repulsive for wanting Black Mesa to be better?"  
"You're destroying our home! You annihilated all of our memories with Gordon!" Benrey interjected.  
"You all wanted Gordon dead too!"  
"We failed in trying to kill him. He was FAR more powerful than anyone could imagine."

"Why on Earth would you kill Gordon just to destroy Black Mesa?" Bubby hissed.  
"He would've STOPPED ME! He was the KING OF BLACK MESA!"  
"He was HUMAN. JUST LIKE YOU!"

Forzen outstretched his arms. "We outnumber you, G-man. You either fix this shit... or you leave. and never return."  
"I'll leave. But my son is coming with me."  
"No fuckin' way, Geem."  
"Excuse me? Why not?"

From the back, there was another voice. "Because you've tortured your own son to get your so-called 'big project' done."  
"Darnold." Rage was audible in G-man's voice.  
"I was the one who told Benrey to find Forzen and fix this hellhouse."  
"I should've killed you."  
"No. Gordon should've killed you. You've caused stress among many."  
Darnold let the butt of his cigarette fall from his lip to the ember-traced soil.  
"So if you only wanted Gordon dead, why would try to kill us all as well?" Coomer asked.  
"This isn't Gordon's place anymore. It's mine. And I want every last bit of Gordon eradicated."

G-man put his index finger and his thumb inside his mouth, whistling. From behind rubble, from in the building, came at least 70 workers. They all looked oddly similar to the science team, they were all just muscular and riddled with tattoos, messed-up hairdos, and piercings. G-man's cyan eyes squinted at the science team as if he were prideful of the workers he had, each of them preparing fists and readying pistols. Rex strode to G-man's side, growling and licking those long and sharp teeth of his. "PITIFUL!" Bubby shouted. The experiment cupped his hands around his mouth and let out an eerie and high-pitched long howl. G-man found this adorable. "Awww. Is the twig of a test-tube experiment trying to become a werewolf?" All the workers laughed. From all around came howls similar to Bubby's. Then, little eyes glowed as they crawled beside their now transforming master. Bubby's nails were now long, ugly black claws. Those same claws tore through his boots. A hyena mane of grey fur traced his spine. He had to have gotten at least a foot taller than Tommy. Three-inch fangs glimmered. Feral Bubby was alive once again, adrenaline for killing coursed through his veins. By the time their master had completed his transformation, there had to be over a hundred hungry, frothing prototypes surrounding the science team. There was a staredown for a good minute until a scream was let out by both G-man and Forzen. War had commenced.

The race to earn back Black Mesa was on.

Workers clashed with the science team, prototypes yipped and howled as they hopped onto workers, tearing their prey apart bit by bit, and even fighting over giblets. Forzen pulled out his revolver, blasting those who would attempt to kill. Bubby hopped upon a worker, his jaws clamped around the neck, taking a good bite out of a red-headed marine. He didn't wanna waste this guy, so he began chewing away at the rest of him. Two workers were helping each other gut prototypes, one held the experiment to his chest, and the other took a knife down its belly, guts sliding out. Benrey used his claws to slice the faces of workers who confronted him. Coomer tossed workers into the air and kicked them far away. "HEY!" Benrey shouted. "Anyone want a STOP SIGN!" Coomer happily waved his mechanical arms. He caught the sign, then twirled around with it, smacking the workers senseless and even breaking some necks. Absolute chaos was being wrought to this once clean field of grass and rocks, which was now a burning, smoking, and bloody battlefield. Benrey noticed something off...Where was Tommy? It seemed that time slowed down for him... until he found exactly where he was. G-man was smuggling him up some metal stairs that would lead to the top of this new building he built. The god forgot about the worker trying to snipe him from behind and made a mad dash for Tommy. G-man wasn't taking his time either. He was fast going up these stairs. "G-MAN!" Benrey shouted as he jogged up the stairs, trailing after the mad father. The man took a dagger from his back pocket and, with amazing precision, struck the god's foot, making it stuck in there really well. Orange blood oozed from the boot, dripping onto the step below. G-man continued dragging his son up the stairs.

They were finally at the top of the building, striding towards the edge of the roof. Tommy was scared to death of heights. The boy wailed. "Look, my son. LOOK! See all those people down there? Your friends?" G-man asked as he pointed to all the death and destruction below them. People and prototypes, dead or dying. "This is all your fault, Tommy. If you worked with me, it wouldn't have been your fault." Tommy shook his head, sobbing. "Stand up and quit being a child." G-man barked as he grabbed his shrieking son by the armpits, forcing him to get on his feet on the very edge of this building now.

"If you weren't such a dumbfuck... I would've kept you."

Tommy didn't have time to say anything. Not even "I'm sorry." All the boy could feel was the air around him. The wind getting faster and faster, as he helplessly turned around and tried reaching for something to latch on to. All he could do was accept his fate.

Until a bright, white light dashed from the smoke clouds, scooping up the boy and saving him from the ultimate fate of death upon burning in weeds ablaze. Tommy didn't know where he was going now or what he was doing almost twenty-five feet in the air right now, but he felt an odd sense of security to whatever was caressing his bruised, frail, and scarred body. That was until he looked at what, or should we say who, was holding him.

"...Uncle... Freeman?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song for this chapter is Blank Banshee's "Escape".  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCivhgKv09w


	13. The Angel

Gordon smiled at Tommy. 

He was back, but not for long. Stuck in a state of awe, Tommy couldn't help but stare. He couldn't believe what he was seeing! A real angel had saved him from dying a horrible death, and more than likely would save him from his father as well. Gordon had the shiniest golden halo floating gently over his head. His wings were absolutely gorgeous and huge, made of rows and rows of delicate white feathers. The angel placed Tommy in a safe area, where he could see out, but no one could see in. Gordon then few past Coomer, over Bubby, in front of Forzen, in between Darnold and a worker, up the stairs past Benrey, and finally to the top of the building where G-man stood in fear. "Gordon?! You're supposed to be dead!" he shouted. Gordon landed in front of G-man, flexing his wings. "Angels aren't real... You're not supposed to be here, Gordon!" The angel pointed at something behind G-man, then flew back to the battlefield. The cyan-eyed man looked to find that a handful of prototypes had climbed the stairs to get their next meal. G-man could only imagine what they came up here for. He tried to back away, raising a hand to them, pleading and begging for them to stop following him. The prototypes don't listen to evil people. Finally, enough of them circled him to begin their feasting. They all pounced onto him, beginning to take G-man into their claws and teeth. All that would be left of him was the screams he made as the creatures tore into his flesh.

Everyone had heard the howls of agony coming from the top of the worker's once-owned building. Something was thrown off the top of it and splattered to the ground. A leg. The workers had realized that the Science Team was going to be undefeatable. Just for them, they all dropped their weapons and surrendered. Which way would they all go, no one knows. Gordon simply stood in the middle of the field until all the leftover workers were gone. From all the devastation and destruction, the smoke was beginning to clear. The science team had found out they had literally been fighting all night. Forzen panted as he poked himself from behind a car that was diminished by age, far beyond any repair. Angel Gordon looked at the horizon. The sun was beginning to rise into the blood-red sky, making the ashes that fell from the sky more visible. "You all can come out of hiding," Gordon chimed. One by one, they all poked from their hiding spots and had looks of astonishment. They were all looking at Gordon... their former leader. "...Gordon?" Coomer waved a hand through him... it was like he was but a mirage. "You can't touch angels, but angels can touch you." the angel said softly. Benrey hissed as he tried walking to the group. Forzen jogged over to him, worried all to hell. "Baby, are you okay?"

"No... G-man got my foot with a fucking dag..."  
"Awww shit! It looks like that went all the way through!"  
"It did... why does G-man need knives?? Just fuckin'...why? Ahh-"

Gordon cleared his throat. "Well... I guess it's time to get your last goodbyes in. I gotta get going." The team's happiness came to a slow as they realized they did in fact have limited time with him now. It was silent for a moment until Forzen came up to him first. "Hey. Gordo."

"Hey, Forzen."  
"I... need to say sorry. For, you know... trying to kill ya in the past."  
"I forgive you. You fought for the Science team tonight. I respect that."  
Forzen smiled and took off his beret for that. "Thanks."  
"Hey. Take good care of Benrey, okay?"  
The engaged couple smiled and nodded.

All of a sudden, there came a loud belch from beyond. A bloody-face Bubby rose from lying on the ground, holding half a worker. "Oh my GOD, YOU'RE EATING THE WORKERS?!" Gordon screamed. Classic Gordon was back... kinda. The team let out a bit of laughter. "Well, I can't let it all go to waste! They do give me bad, bad heartburn though... ugh..." Bubby shook the blood off his face, Coomer coming up to his side and giving him a pat. Bubby was back in his normal form and the prototypes ran away back to their lab. "This is going to bite me later." Bubby groaned again. "Well uh... I hope your... stomach gets better, Bubby." Gordon said shyly.

Coomer walked up to Gordon. "It's gonna pain me not to say 'Hello, Gordon' anymore. I guess this is goodbye." Gordon nodded, the sadness of the fact welling up in his eyes. He wiped the tears away and sniffled, directing his attention to Tommy. "Take care of the Science Team, will you, Coomer?" Coomer nodded and got a pat on the shoulder. "And, Tommy, can you come here for a second?" The boy put down the piece of metal he was fiddling with and walked up to the angel, listening carefully. "I am so, so sorry about your dad. I didn't know he was... that guy. So, therefore... I'd like you to take this." It was a locket with a watch in it. It had a picture of Gordon, Benrey, and Tommy on their first day of building the old treehouse.

"You mean it? You always had this in the safest place, put away where no one else could touch it!"  
"I sure do. It's the day we were at our happiest."

The child looked behind him at the science team. They all believed in him, giving him thumbs-up, big smiles, and winks.  
"I... I wanna hug you, Uncle Freeman!"  
"Ohhh, but I can hug you!"

Then the two brought it all in and Tommy let out the tears. Gordon was going to be missed dearly. The rest of the team got to say their goodbyes, then finally Gordon outstretched his wings and flew off straight into the sky, the sounds of his wingbeats incredible. Bubby tapped Coomer on the shoulder. "While I was uh.. eating a worker, I found this, Harold." Bubby raised up a necklace. On it was a lightning bolt made of zircon gem. "Oh... Bubby, this is beautiful! It's made of pure zircon!" He placed it around his neck, taking a closer look at the gem. 

"...Tommy?" a young voice rang out. He stopped staring and began looking around for the source. A dog's shadow could be seen from afar, running towards the child. "..Sunkist?"  
It was him! Sunkist was okay! 

"I missed you so much, Tommy!"  
"I missed you too! There was this big, mean pit bull with a collar that looks just like yours! He was going to hurt me!"  
"Well, where that imposter may be, I do not know. but I do know that I will not let anyone ever hurt you again."

The boy and the dog hugged. Tommy glanced at the sky as he held his dog in a graceful embrace, knowing Gordon was probably watching them.

"Thank you, Uncle freeman. Wherever you are."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Song for this chapter is Selfless by Le Claire. This song is also used in the next chapter.  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37_-VRiIWAk


	14. The Aftermath

It was within the first month and just shortly after the battle that the Science Team hired some workers of their own to rebuild Black Mesa right away. The place would be better, but in such a way it looked similar to the old one. However, the team had to vacate themselves to a suitable living location until the building up of Black Mesa ended. The science team gave them direct orders, they knew exactly what they wanted and how they wanted it built.

The very next month, there would be a Black Mesa wedding. A wedding just for Ben and Forzen. A glistening and beautiful ring was placed upon the two of their fingers, dedicating their love to each other forever and a day. It was also on that same day that Bubby and Coomer decided that Tommy needed some parents, so they took it upon themselves to allow him (and Sunkist) to enter their home, a room specially made for him with all kinds of colors and things he would remember.

Two years fly by. Benrey hopped from the stairs of their home, jogging over to a picnic table, love and joy filling his heart when he was going to reveal to Forzen that the two were going to become parents. Everyone was outside, having a good time chatting amongst each other about how wonderful Black Mesa would be after it was all built. Benrey tapped a glass and gave the big announcement to the Science team. "I'M GONNA BE A COUSIN! WHEEEEHEWW!" Tommy shouted from the table, standing up and blowing a noisemaker. "Well, I'll be, Benrey! Congratulations!" Coomer and Bubby cheered. The new father came up to his love life, with all-dead seriousness in his eyes, "...Is that true? You're... pregnant?" The eldritch creation nodded softly. Forzen then picked up the new mother and twirled him around, shouting exclamations of pride and joy. They set off fireworks that night as well, Forzen and Benrey just snuggling as they watched colors burst into the night sky.

After nine months of constantly having to use the bathroom, accidentally shouting at Forzen, belly worship, craving oddities, etc., the Core family finally welcomes twins Dia and Baxter into their warm and open arms. Two new members of the almighty Science team. Benrey would never forget the day he got to sit there in that hospital bed and hold his two newborn children. They both looked like a hybrid of both of them. "Hi," Tommy said, gently grazing a finger over the trademark tuft of hair Baxter got from his father. The black tuft bobbed lightly. Dia was more interested in Tommy than her father wanting to say hi to her, as she kept smiling at him. The rest of the science team was in wonderment. "I still think it's quite unfair that we're too old to have our own children, Bubby," Coomer whispered. Don't get them wrong, Tommy was an awesome child. The two just wanted their own child to play alongside Tommy.

Several years pass. The crew is able to return to Black Mesa, as it was finally finished. What they were met with was astonishing. It looked as if nothing had changed. Like G-man never destroyed the place. Like he never existed. There were sections of Black Mesa dedicated to different members of the science team. Benrey figured he'd show Tommy his room on his own since he was the one who thought of it. "Here's your place," Benrey said as he unlocked the door that led to the room. It looked just like the inside of his treehouse. The table was here, new and framed pictures he drew of him and the science team, the crates of art items, even a dog door for Sunkist. But what made him burst into happy tears, were the vine wreaths. He thought he would've lost them forever. The wreaths meant so much to him, he placed it back on the table and sobbed with joy into Benrey's shoulders.

Entering the main building was what made them feel the most joy in their hearts. There, right in the middle, was a statue of Gordon raising his crowbar to the ceiling, one leg elevated on a rectangular prism. On that prism was a memorial to Gordon Freeman... King of Black Mesa. 

Then, there was a place outside where they would all sit and watch the skies. THAT was Forzen's idea, as he loved looking at the stars at night. The hill made a lookout into a field of long grass, as it used to be barren sand. The science team stood upon the hill, looking out. Dia and Baxter let go of their mother's hands, walking forward and getting the idea to scream out into the field, listening for an echo of their own. Then, being the prideful and awesome team they were, all the others roared a scream out into the land. 

Hear them roar.

_-+=The End. =+-_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank y'all for reading.


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